Vancouver’s False Creek Flats is set to welcome its first tri-mix development, Archetype, a project that blends multi-residential residential, office, and light creative-industrial space into a single location.

Construction is already well underway and the project, located at East First Avenue and Main Street, is expected to be completed this year.

The initiative is part of the city’s long-term plan to transform the 450-acre False Creek Flats area into a major employment hub, with projections of 22,000 new jobs being created over the next three decades.

Archetype, developed by QuadReal Property Group in partnership with Hungerford Properties, is designed to integrate different business and living spaces in an efficient and innovative way, The Globe and Mail reported.

“Archetype is poised to become a nucleus for innovation and collaboration,” Paul Faibish, senior vice-president of development at QuadReal, told the Globe. “Mixed-use developments are becoming increasingly prevalent due to growing housing needs, the push for more efficient land use, and rising urban demand for walkable, vibrant communities.”

The project includes an eight-storey office tower with up to 40 units and a mid-rise residential building with 200 rental apartments and two floors dedicated to light industry. The latter spaces are slated to house small-scale production, simple manufacturing, and food commissaries.

“The city’s plan was to try and establish a new neighbourhood typology with an opportunity for people to be able to work and live together [in different industries],” Andrew Emmerson, a principal at GBL Architects, the firm designing the project, told the Globe. “It really was quite an unorthodox mix.”

False Creek Flats has long been known for its mix of industries, offices, and city services. As one of Vancouver’s few remaining industrial zones, the neighbourhood has historically hosted some of the most expensive employment land in the region, according to the Globe.

The city has been investing in its transformation since 2017, aiming to create jobs in tech, healthcare, and education.

Maged Senbel, associate professor at UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning, emphasized the importance of such developments.

“It makes a lot of sense to give residents and office workers flexibility in the proximity to services that they look for in their work or work-at-home environments,” he told the Globe.

Archetype will offer AAA class office space built to LEED Gold standards, featuring amenities such as a south-facing rooftop deck, informal workspaces, and meeting rooms. The site’s location, within walking distance current and SkyTrain stations, will also facilitate easy commuting.

Emmerson explained that the design was inspired by the False Creek Flats’ industrial heritage and Vancouver’s North Shore mountain vistas.

“We’re trying to elevate as much of the workspace and living space as possible to make use of the views to the north, but also to the south,” he told the Globe.

The light-industrial component of the project will cater to a variety of tenants, with flexible leasing options that allow for public or semi-public interaction, the Globe reported.

“We anticipated a full range, acknowledging that some of them will be establishing a public or semi-public connection or desire the opportunity to spill out into some kind of outdoor patio space,” Emmerson told the Globe.

The development has already attracted interest from health-tech companies, professional service firms, and creative industries looking for high-quality office and industrial space near the new St. Paul’s Hospital, the Globe reported.

While Archetype is the first of its kind in Vancouver, there are more to come, according to the report. Local developer Strand is working on Three Sixty, another mixed-use project south of False Creek Flats in Mount Pleasant.

“Aligning the aspirations of engineering, planning, and different departments at the city to make these complicated buildings work is important,” Emmerson told the Globe. “To have walkable neighbourhoods with sustainable buildings that create infrastructure upgrades that allow for more bike networks and opportunities for public transit is special.”

Pictured: Archetype tri-mix project in Vancouver’s False Creek Flats Area.

Rendering: GBL Architects